


A Weary Winter Night

by RagingBookDragon



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal Attack, Caves, Declarations Of Love, Established Relationship, Heavy Angst, Humor, Hunting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RagingBookDragon/pseuds/RagingBookDragon
Summary: “Because they are food?” he said in confusion and she rolled her eyes.“Oh my god.” She complained. “I can’t believe you’d eat such an adorable animal.”Connor promptly ignored her further complaints as they ventured deeper into the forest, out to a pond. He bent down and pulled out his tomahawk, cracking a small hole in the ice so he could wash his hands clean of the blood. A barely audible hiss passed his lips at the frigid temperature, and he was quick to finish before looking up at her.
Relationships: Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor & Reader, Ratonhnhaké:ton | Connor/Reader
Kudos: 16





	A Weary Winter Night

**Author's Note:**

> Day 10 of The Christmas Fics! Here we go people! Enjoy! -Thorne

“How many inches do you reckon it snowed, Ratonhnhaké:ton?”

He didn’t look over his shoulder as he unwound the trap from the fox’s neck starting to skin it. “Possibly a foot and a half.” He eyed her as she squatted beside him. “Maybe more.”

She watched the steam rise from the fox’s internal organs. “So, I’ve never actually asked, but can you even eat…fox?” Her face pinched with displeasure.

Connor chuckled as he worked. “You can, but the meat is very tough.” His amber eyes drifted to hers. “Would you like to try it, (Y/N)?”

She pulled a face and shook her head. “No thanks. I’ll stick to animals that don’t make me cry when I think about eating them.”

He hummed and stood to his feet. “Is that why you do not eat rabbit?”

“They’re _cute_!” (Y/N) protested. “And _fluffy_ and _cuddly_! How can you eat them?!”

“Because they are food?” he said in confusion and she rolled her eyes.

“ _Oh my god_.” She complained. “I can’t believe you’d eat such an _adorable_ animal.”

Connor promptly ignored her further complaints as they ventured deeper into the forest, out to a pond. He bent down and pulled out his tomahawk, cracking a small hole in the ice so he could wash his hands clean of the blood. A barely audible hiss passed his lips at the frigid temperature, and he was quick to finish before looking up at her.

(Y/N) was staring off into the distance, eyes directed at the moon rising in the distance. Something was on her mind, he could tell.

“Otsi’tsa?” She glanced down and smiled. “Are you well?”

She nodded. “Yeah, just thinking about how long it’d take to get back or if we should play it safe and find somewhere to hunker down for the night.”

He rose and looked behind them. “We are at least five miles from the Homestead.” They met each other’s gazes and he nodded. “We should find shelter.”

(Y/N) tipped her head back to the trail. “I saw a cave about a hundred feet off the pathway earlier. Marked it with the ribbon around one of the gray birches.” Her eyes shifted back to the lowering sun. “If we hurry, we can find it before nightfall.”

Connor nodded. “Then let us away.” He turned, but paused, holding out his hand to her.

She quirked an eyebrow and he felt his cheeks warm. “I do not wish for you to fall.”

“ _Suuuuure_ ,” she ribbed, grinning when his cheeks flushed an even darker shade of crimson, and he pulled his hood lower on his head.

*******

It took about an hour, but that was all the day needed to shift into night, casting a dark indigo hue across the sky. (Y/N) breathed heavily, watching her breath come out in a cloud of wisps as she heaved herself through the boundless snow. The red ribbon appeared in her gaze and she squeezed Connor’s hand.

“There it is,” she nodded. “The cave should be just past here.”

She knew Connor was exhausted, just by his response, a quiet grunt, and she couldn’t help but murmur, “Sorry, I know you’re tired, Ratonhnhaké:ton. Just a little while longer.”

“I am fine, (Y/N). Do not worry.” He replied, letting go of her hand to gently untie the ribbon. His gaze drifted to her. “Besides, if you did not mention this, we would still be searching for shelter.”

She offered him a heartfelt smile and headed for the cave. As she neared it, she raised her flintlock and fired a single shot, no doubt scaring off anything in the cave and around it. She knew she certainly scared Connor, because he appeared in her vision with a frown on his face.

(Y/N) holstered the gun. “ _What_?” His eyes narrowed. “I was just making sure there wasn’t anything inside.”

Connor didn’t respond, simply heading inside. After a moment, he called for her.

“It is safe. Come in, (Y/N).”

She lowered her hood and stepped inside, immediately whacking her head on the ceiling of the cave. “ _Fucker_!” she yelped, bending over to grab her forehead. “ _That hurt_!”

A snort sounded beside her, and she whipped her head up, this time careful to avoid the ceiling. “Stop _laughing_ , Ratonhnhaké:ton! _Shame on you_!”

His lips pulled upwards and he softly cradled her face, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I am not laughing at you,” he murmured. “You mistake my sound of concern for laughter.”

(Y/N) glared at him, but she felt her lips rise as well. “Sounds like _laughter_ to me, big-guy.”

She felt him smile against her skin as he pressed one last kiss before pulling away. “Good as new.”

She scoffed and prodded the bump growing. “Say that in the morning when I’ve got a bruise up there and a knot the size of a grenade.” He chuckled and she nodded to the back. “I’ll make a fire. You work on setting up a bedding.”

Spinning on her heel, he caught her arm before she left. “Let me do that. You should stay.”

(Y/N) leaned over and pecked his lips, but then grabbed him by the waist and spun him around. “Go. You’re exhausted. I can gather wood.”

Connor looked over his shoulder at her, and a firm nod of her head made him sigh and concede. “As you wish, (Y/N).”

She huffed a laugh at the way his shoulders seemed to droop but was relieved when he sat down and started unwinding his pack. Turning back around, she headed for the entrance of the cave and out into the night.

*******

She searched for a good forty minutes, having to dig deep and climb higher for dry branches, but she managed to gather an armful that would at least last them a full three or four hours.

Her feet and back ached with a rage as she made her way back to the cave and all she could think about was diving into her bedroll and sleeping for as long as her body would allow.

Following her trailed footsteps back, she was about fifty yards from the cave when she crossed the path of a cougar. Shock filled her and before she could stop herself, the firewood fell to her feet, signaling the beast to look at her, and hiss menacingly.

(Y/N) stared at the canines and silently cursed herself for not reloading her flintlock when she had the chance earlier. She carefully reached for the hatchet at her side— _something told her she was going to need it_. The mountain lion seemed to know it as well because it screamed fiercely at her, almost making her step back in fear, but Connor’s teachings echoed in her mind: _stand your ground_.

Her fingers tightened around the grip and she twirled the hatchet in her hand, and sidestepped, the cougar following in a similar fashion. They circled one another and if the situation hadn’t been so dire, she would’ve made a joke about what a _deadly dance_ it was becoming between them.

She barely had moments to react before the cat sprang, and she dove just in time to avoid the swipe of its heavy paw. (Y/N) reacted as it hit the ground, kicking out her leg as hard as she could. Her boot connected with the cougar’s side, sending it sprawling over, but that anecdote that all cat’s land on their feet was proven true, because it jumped back up and came at her— _and this time, she didn’t have room to move out of the way._

It jumped and she raised her arm, letting out a scream of pain when the mountain lion sunk its teeth into her gloved wrist, clawed paws swiping at her. The weight was too much for her to bear and her knees went out underneath her, the hatchet falling from her grip.

(Y/N) yelled as the cougar’s mouth clamped tighter around her wrist, and the bones felt like they were going to snap. She curled her free hand into a fist and swung as brutally as she could manage, hitting the mountain lion in the face. It didn’t let her go, but she kept swinging, and connecting with its face until it did. It finally let go and hissed, but it was all the time she needed to yank her arm back and shove with all her might.

The cat leaped away, and she rolled over, scrambling for the hatchet. Her fingers curled around it but the scream coming her way told her she was out of time. (Y/N) shut her eyes and prayed for a miracle.

A gunshot sounded from behind her and a pitiful groan followed by a loud thump made her eyes snap open. She caught sight of the cougar laying in a blooming crimson puddle and she looked over her shoulder, seeing Connor standing there, the flintlock still smoking in his hand.

She couldn’t contain the sob that left her. “ _Ratonhnhaké:ton_!” she cried, and he holstered the gun, sprinting to her.

He skidded to a halt and knelt down. “Where are you hurt?” he asked, and she raised her arm.

“ _Everywhere_.” She whispered. “But _this_ …is the worst of it.” (Y/N) yelped when he took hold of it.

“Sorry.” He murmured and she shook her head.

“Don’t— _ow_ —don’t worry.” She nodded at it. “How bad?”

Connor started to unclip the leather gauntlet. When he had her glove off, he frowned. “He broke the skin, but I do not think he broke any bones.”

(Y/N) scoffed, but it dissolved into a hiss. “ _Shit_ , it feels like he did.” She pulled her arm back and cradled it to her chest, staggering to her feet, Connor fretting the entire time.

She shook her head and nodded to the pile of wood sprawled out a few feet away. “C’mon, gather the firewood so we can start one in the cave.”

“I need to tend to your wound, (Y/N).” he entreated, but she was firm.

“And in order to do that, you need _light_.” She bent over and grabbed a stick but dropped it and reached for her arm. “ _Fucker_.” She cursed, blood smearing across her arm.

“Go to the cave. I will collect the wood.” Connor decided, and not having the energy to argue, she nodded, trudging back to the cave.

*******

It took him a few minutes to get the fire good and going, but once he did, he made her sit beside it, cleaning the wound in silence. He smeared a rather foul-smelling mixture along her wound before sealing it with a clean linen wrap. Though it was finished, he didn’t remove his hands, he just kept staring at it.

(Y/N) watched the fire dance along his face, casting shadows on his features and she leaned close, pressing her forehead to his. “ _It wasn’t your fault_ ,” she whispered.

Connor didn’t speak for a moment. “…I should have gone out to collect the wood.”

“We couldn’t have known that a cougar would be out tonight.”

He shook his head. “ _I_ _should have seen the signs_.” His face pinched, and such a self-loathing tone came out of him. “ _I should have seen the markings along the trees as we came._ _You_ _got hurt because of my ignorance_.”

(Y/N) winced as she pulled her arm back and cradled his face. “Look at me.” He didn’t and she ran her thumb under his eye. “ _Ratonhnhaké:ton, look me in the eyes._ ”

Finally, his amber eyes met hers and she said, “You were tired.” He opened his mouth to respond, but her free hand slipped, covering it. “ _If you had gone out there, that cougar might’ve killed you before I could’ve gotten there_.”

Connor’s eyes went wide, and she felt tears gather in hers; she swallowed the lump in her throat, breathing, “ _Don’t you know how devastated I would’ve been if I couldn’t’ve gotten to you as fast as you did me_?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed and through her own tears, she saw his eyes fill with them. Connor lowered his head and (Y/N) curled her arms around his neck, careful of her injured one.

“I am sorry,” he lamented, and she shook her head, brushing a hand through his dark hair.

“Don’t be. We’re both _here_. Both _safe_ now.” She said, pulling away to look at him once more. She wiped his cheeks, then he did the same to her, ever so gentle as if she were made of the most precious gemstones.

Connor leaned towards her, resting his forehead to hers. “ _Konnorónhkwa_.”

(Y/N) breathed a sigh of relief, smiling softly. “ _I love you too_.”


End file.
